


The Seduction of Harry Potter

by caz251



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-06
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2017-12-10 15:05:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/787392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caz251/pseuds/caz251
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucius Malfoy always gets what he wants, what he feels he rightly deserves, and for his role in the war he feels like the grand prize should be his.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lucius was a lot of things, a father, a lord, a pureblood, a Death Eater, but at his very foundation he was just a man, a man with needs and desires. It was important to note though that Lucius was a Malfoy, and that Malfoy’s always get whatever it is that they want. They accept no less than what they believe they deserve and Lucius believed that he deserved a lot after his sacrifice in the war. While the ignorant wizarding public thought him to be nothing more than a filthy Slytherin Death Eater the truth was that Lucius Malfoy pureblood supremacist was in fact a spy for the light side of the war. It wasn't a truth that many would accept due to the soul destroying actions he had participated in during his time under Lord Voldemort. He had been following the mad man only as a result of his mother who had forced him into the man’s service upon his father’s death in the hopes of holding onto their position in wizarding society with a female acting head of the family. When the time came that he was able to take control of the family he had already been pledged to the Dark Lord and had taken his mark. He was trapped, it was obvious to him even at seventeen that the only way out of Voldemort’s service was death. 

He had resolved therefore to make the best out of a bad situation and ensure the continuation of the Malfoy line. He had gone to Albus Dumbledore and offered his services as a spy believing that such association would afford him legal protection for the actions that would be involved with being a Death Eater. Unfortunately that hadn't worked for him, although Dumbledore was more than willing to accept his services he wasn't willing to speak up for him once Voldemort was killed, insisting that Lucius keep his cover for when he returned. Lucius had instead had to plead imperious to get off of the charges against him. It almost hadn't worked and his reputation and that of the family was stained, not to mention the fact that he only just managed to stay out of Azkaban. Now though he wasn't going to be pushed around for the purpose of the light, he was sick of being their scapegoat. From now on Lucius was going to be in charge of his own life and safety; he refused to rely on Dumbledore any longer. After all, it hadn't done him any favours during the first war. He was luckily in a better position than most would expect, especially when he was being publicly accused of being a Death Eater. 

Fortunately he had spent a great deal of time in the years between the two wars securing a base of influential friends. His wife Narcissa had been instrumental in helping him secure some of his friendships; she had used a lot of the Black families’ contacts to put their family in a better position politically. He had to admit, even if only to himself, that marrying Narcissa was one of his better ideas. She was of the same mindset as he was when it came to muggles, neither of them were happy about them finding out about the wizarding world as a whole, but they didn't want to slaughter them all either. Their views were in line with those who were neutral, but as Lucius had already been bound to the Dark Lord and Narcissa was a Black, neutrality wasn't a path that either of them could take. Instead they had chosen to hide in the shadows of the light, hoping that when the war was over that they could move into more neutral territory and live how they wanted to. There was no love between him and Narcissa, but they had a strong bond of friendship that had made their marriage of convenience bearable for both of them.

However, now that the war was over, his mother was dead and so was Voldemort, with no chance of resurrection this time, they could divorce and go their separate ways. They had spoken about divorce often, before Voldemort had returned and the second war had kicked into full swing, but they had stayed together ultimately to help each other survive. Narcissa would never have been taken seriously by any of the men in Voldemort’s service if they were divorced and the chance that she may have been reduced to the role of a plaything was too high to even consider a divorce. The fact that Narcissa was able to hold him back and calm him some was the one of the other reasons they had stayed together, she was very important to him keeping his cool when his colleagues had invaded his home and set up base. The last reason for their continued marriage had been for Draco's sake, their son had enough to deal with, the guilt of having almost taken a life, having allowed Death Eaters into the castle to attack his schoolmates, and the strain of having to sit through dinners with both his Aunt Bellatrix and the Dark Lord, no they had held off for many reasons. Those reasons were now obsolete and they were both free to pursue what they wanted, or rather who they wanted.

Narcissa had left almost immediately after the ink had dried on their divorce parchment, going straight to France where her lover awaited her. She had been in love with Markus for years and Lucius would not have done anything to stop them from being together. They had always been discrete with their liaisons and never brought shame upon the Malfoy name so why should he have cared really, except to know that his best friend was well cared for. They hadn't seen each other since the Dark Lord had returned though, Narcissa unwillingly to leave either him or Draco when the mad man was alive once more.

Lucius once she left began looking into other areas of interest. He had taken a few lovers over the years since Draco's birth, but none had ever held his interest for long. He knew Narcissa had despaired of him ever finding someone that could keep him occupied for more than a month, but he had found him. He was a puzzle wrapped in an enigma, every time Lucius thought he had figured the other man out he found something else out about the man that confused him even more. What he did know though, was that he wanted that puzzle to be his, unfortunately there were a few people and things in his way, but they could be driven off and any other problems could be dealt with.

He supposed that his biggest problem was the other man's girlfriend, well that and the fact that the other man had shown no indication of being anything other than one hundred percent heterosexual. He was Lucius Malfoy though, if anyone could seduce the other man to his way of thinking it was him. Harry Potter wouldn't know what hit him, and Ginny Weasley had no chance. Malfoy's always get what they want and he wanted Harry.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucius looked at the file on his desk, it was everything that he had managed to compile on Harry Potter. Before the war had been over he had gathered as much information about the young man in case he ever needed to blackmail the man to ensure his families safety. Now though he intended to use the information for another purpose. Knowing as much as he could about the other man could only benefit him. He was sure that he knew things about Harry that the Weasley chit could never know or understand, he intended to use that to his advantage.

For instance it wasn’t exactly unknown that Harry hated the media and all the attention that was put on him when he attended formal functions. Still it was well known that he would attend them because his girlfriend wanted to go and didn’t merit an invitation of her own. It was obvious to many that Harry was just going through the motions when it came to his relationship and that he wasn’t as invested in it as the newspapers and his girlfriend would believe.

Locking the file in his desk drawer Lucius made his way to his rooms to dress for the ball that evening at the ministry. He intended to make his move that evening, or rather his first move. He was after all prepared to play a rather long game to gain Harry’s affections. He knew that he would be able to hold out for what he desired much longer than Miss Weasley would without losing his composure. Dressing to impress in a set of startling blue and silver dress robes Lucius thought over the things that he intended to talk over with the young man about that evening; his Lordship and the new orphanage.

Lucius was almost certain that the young man knew nothing about his Lordship, something that needed to be rectified almost immediately as he was to take up the mantle of two of the Ancient houses. He would have thought someone would have spoken to him about it, but then again Black and the werewolf didn’t get to spend that much time with him if Severus was to be believed. The Weasleys wouldn’t have brought it up to him either as they tended to ignore the Lordships of their world as much as they were able to, since losing their own Lordship and fortune just under a century ago.

If Harry wanted to be able to have his say in the world and take his seats in the House of Wizards he would need to be taught about his role. That was what he intended to do, offer the young man his tutelage. Well, that and his aid both physically and financially when it came to the orphanage. Harry would be grateful for the help where the orphanage was concerned and would accept Lucius as his teacher due to his superior knowledge of the Wizarding System.

~

The ball was in full swing before Lucius got the chance to approach the young lord to be, many people having demanded his attention from the time he arrived. Finally managing to escape those who he normally kept company with at such events he made his way towards the young man, whose date had fortunately gone off to the witches room.  
“Heir Potter-Black,” he greeted, “you are looking well. I had hoped to speak with you this evening on a couple of matters if you could spare some time.”

Harry looked at him askance, probably wondering at the title he had been referred to as, and why Lucius had used both his surnames, as most people referred to him only by Potter, trying to ignore the lingering taint of the Black name, not wanting it attached to their saviour. Lucius could tell that the younger man was unsure as to whether he should speak with him or not, probably curious about what he wanted, but unwilling to get himself entangled in something that could cause problems for him later.

Knowing that he needed to make a convincing argument to get the young man to speak with him he pressed on. “If tonight is inconvenient perhaps we could arrange a luncheon, it is imperative that I speak to you soon about two separate matters, both of some import.”

“I, erm, what is you wanted to speak about?” Harry asked, rubbing nervously at his right ear, something that seemed to be a nervous habit, something he did when he was unsure of himself. Lucius had seen him do it a few times and it did nothing but endear the younger man to him more.

“Firstly I wanted to speak with you about both the funding and running of the orphanage and the contributions that I wish to make to it. The second is more time consuming, I need to speak with you in regards to your dual lordship and your place in the House of Wizards.” Lucius informed him, hoping that the other man would consent to lunch with him, as it would allow him to spend some more time with him.

Harry seemed to stare at him for a few moments, obviously trying to measure the honesty in his words. They were interrupted by the Weasley chit calling Harry from across the ballroom, insisting that he join her, really the girl had no manners. It was rude to interrupt people who were talking, but even worse so was to call across a crowded room as she had just done. The young man let out a small sigh, obviously noting that the attention of at least half the room was now on him due to the Weasley’s faux pas, not that the young man was properly aware of the girls error in judgement due to his lack of training about his station. 

“Send me an owl, Lord Malfoy, and we will arrange lunch.” Harry said as he left to join his girlfriend on the other side of the room.

Lucius let a small smile cross his face fleetingly, it wasn’t exactly what he had been hoping for from the evening, he hadn’t gotten a chance to really talk with the young heir, but he had arranged to arrange a time when he could. The youngest Weasley had also just put another block in her own path, whilst Harry had never really cared for what the public thought, or the aristocracy for that matter, he did have manners, and when he found out how badly the girls actions would reflect on him he would want to either correct that or disassociate himself from her. He was hoping for the latter, as he was sure that the daughter of Molly Prewitt Weasley would not stand to be corrected, and would fight any attempts at Harry trying to make her behaviour acceptable for polite society.

Lucius spent the rest of the ball in much higher spirits before apparating back to the manor to write a request for lunch to send to the other man the next morning. He would make Harry his, it was just going to take some time. He didn’t mind though, the slow seduction of the senses was often better, and he would have the other man before long.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has taken so long for an update. Hopefully it won't be so long before the next update.

Harry stared at the owl he had received from Lucius Malfoy, it seemed like a bad idea, attending lunch with the other man, but at the same time he was curious. He didn’t really understand what the other man had meant about his place in the House of Wizards, he knew that Malfoy was a member and a lord, but he didn’t know why the House of Wizards had anything really to do with him. The orphanage though, anyone that Harry could get interested in helping with that he was willing to talk to. There could never be enough funding to make sure that all wizarding orphans were happy and healthy, and if Malfoy wanted to donate some of his fortune to Harry’s pet project well Harry supposed that lunch wasn’t too much of a hardship. He wrote a quick reply, sending it with waiting eagle owl.

_Lord Malfoy,_

_Lunch would be acceptable._

_Harry Potter_

Once the owl had left he looked back at the letter that the Malfoy lord had sent him, as he tried to understand what the other man really wanted from him.

_Heir Potter-Black,_

_I write to you following our conversation at the ball this past evening, and your invitation to call upon you for lunch for discussion of several important matters. It is of great import that these matters are seen to post haste, therefore I request that you join me for luncheon today at noon at the Moon Palace in Vertical Alley._

_With regards,_

_Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy_

Harry knowing that he would have to leave soon made his way to his room to shower and get ready, making an effort with his robes in an attempt to look presentable. Not that he wanted to impress Malfoy, but rather because he was going to Moon Palace. He had heard people talk about the restaurant, or rather he had heard Ginny going on and on about how good the food was supposed to be, how expensive and high class it was, and how they should definitely go. Apparently anyone who was someone frequented there often, and he should definitely be added to their list of regulars, in Ginny’s opinion at least.

When he was ready Harry apparated to Vertical Alley and walked the rest of the way to Moon Palace, entering through the opulent arched doorway he was immediately greeted by a man in silver robes.

"Mr. Potter, I'm afraid that I don't have you down for a reservation, I can book you a table for later if you wish, but we are fully booked for lunch." He spoke with no reverence in his voice, something that Harry was glad of.

"I am meeting Lord Malfoy for lunch," Harry replied, "Has he arrived yet?"

"A few minutes ago. I'm sorry Lord Malfoy never mentioned who his lunch companion would be. If you come this way I'll take you to him." The wizard replied, leading Harry into the restaurant and towards a private room.

"Heir Potter-Black" Lucius greeted as Harry entered the room, the wizard disappearing shutting the door behind him. Lucius pulling Harry's chair out for him as the younger man returned the Lord's greeting.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Harry spoke getting right to the point of the matter.

Lucius nodded, "Yes. A few different matters need to be discussed, my contribution to the orphanage and the war orphans fund is just a small thing. Of more import is your training to take your place in the House of Wizards."

Harry looked at him and was about to speak when a witch in silver robes appeared in the room, taking their orders for lunch before disappearing again, their lunch arriving mere seconds later.

"My place in the House of Wizards, what do you mean?" Harry asked before he started to eat, looking at the Malfoy Lord to explain. He didn't have a place in the House of Wizards, he wasn't important enough for that, surely.

Between bites of his meal Malfoy began to explain, "You are the heir to the Potter and Black fortunes, each family has a seat in the House of Wizards and you need to be properly trained to take up your responsibilities in the House."

Harry stared at him blankly for a moment, before replying, "Why hasn't anyone mentioned this before?"

"I don't think either Black or Lupin had the opportunity to tell you about it, as for the Weasley's I can' really say. They shun the House as snobs, even though they were once a member before they lost their lordship, so it could be because they just don't think the House as important, or maybe they thought you knew, or if it was something else, well that would be speculation." Lucius commented, he wasn't above placing little seeds of doubt about a whole family if it meant that Harry would reconsider the daughter.

"Miss Weasley for instance, despite being the daughter of a pureblood family has never been taught the proper manners or protocols for formal events. Last night at the ball for instance, her insistence last night that you join her when we were talking is considered highly rude, even in normal circumstances it is rude to interrupt a conversation, never mind by shouting across a crowded room. She may not have realised it, but her actions will be looked down on by society and they will bring you down by association. I noticed the Ladies of Society take note of the situation and I can assure you that Miss Weasley will have problems as a result of her actions.” Lucius informed him.

Harry had to agree with him about her manners, as he had had manners beaten into him as a child he had always been polite, interrupting a conversation was something he wouldn’t do unless it was an emergency. To do so from across the room though, that was just the height of rudeness.

“To take your place in the House of Wizards you will need to know the etiquette and laws of our society, something that it is apparent that you aren’t learning at the moment.” Lucius began, “I am willing to teach you both these things in the hope of fostering better relations between our families.”

Harry stared at the man as he continued to eat, he knew that he was being rude, but he couldn’t help himself. He was trying to judge by looking at Lucius what it was that he was getting out of the situation, but the man’s Slytherin mask was in place and Harry couldn’t read him.

“I accept your offer.” Harry stated as he finished his meal, “You wished to speak to me about the orphanage as well.”

Lucius looked at him evenly for a moment before going into his robe pocket and placing a Gringotts bank draft on the table. “That is my contribution to the orphanage itself, for the day to day running costs. I wish also to teach the children the same things I intend to teach you; etiquette and law. The orphans in that orphanage, many of them come from prestigious families that have been destroyed, those children like you will one day have to take their place in the House of Wizards, it would be better if they were prepared for that eventuality early on in their lives.”

Harry took the bank draft, looking quickly at the number, noting that Malfoy really must have been told to make some large charitable donations to help his image after the war. “I have no problem with that. I’ll put you in contact with Mrs Brown, she is coordinating the children’s education at the moment. As for my lessons, when is convenient for you Lord Malfoy?”

“Friday evenings perhaps?” Lucius queried of him and Harry found himself agreeing easily.

He himself had no real plans on a Friday evening, but Ginny was always trying to get him to take him to whatever place was supposed to be good that week. At least this way he had an excuse not to go to the events in public, after all if society was watching and Ginny was reflecting on him he may have to try and fix her behaviour, subtly of course, he wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a bat bogey hex.

After agreeing to meet at Malfoy Manor every Friday evening for the foreseeable future they parted company, lunch having long since been over. Harry made his way straight to Gringotts to deposit the draft into the orphanages vault, and Malfoy left to wherever it was the man was going with a bit of a spring in his step. Harry had stared after him, unsure about why the man seemed so buoyant and hoping that it had nothing to do with him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this update has taken so long, it's not very long either I am afraid. Hopefully it won't be as long before the next update, but I need to finish the next chapter of Magic of Torchwood first, as it has been waiting even longer for an update. Thanks for hanging in there waiting on this rather flaky authoress.

Lucius sat in his study after a successful lunch with Harry, he had gotten through to the younger man by impressing upon him the need for him to be properly aware of his station before he managed to insult people due to his lack of knowledge. That he was also willing to help the orphans learn their place in society as well was something that had definitely worked in his favour. Now he had the perfect opportunity to break down the other man’s barriers. He would be spending time with him each week, training and moulding him to take his place in society, and without him really knowing, how to be a perfect Malfoy.

That Harry would be coming for his lessons on a Friday night was a stroke of genius on his part, he knew that all the younger crowd seemed to favour Friday nights for their frivolities and that Harry would be unable to attend would no doubt drive a wedge between him and Miss Weasley. It was obvious that Harry wasn’t really a fan of such things, but the littlest Weasley seemed to live for such things, that she would be unable to have her boyfriend on her arm to show off each week would definitely irk her.

Sitting behind his desk he began to pull some parchment towards him, he had a few letters that he needed to write and get sent off before the end of the day. The first was a polite letter of introduction to Mrs Brown to arrange a time to meet regarding the children’s education, informing her of his agreement with Heir Potter-Black and inviting her to check up on what he had said if she felt it was necessary. His next letter was to Flourish and Blotts arranging for them to send multiple copies of the books he wished the children to read off to the orphanage, payment being taken from his account of course. It would work in his favour to be seen as trying to help the orphans in as many ways possible, but might also endear him to Harry a bit more. The fact that those who he taught would always look to him as a mentor in a way would also be beneficial in the long run when they took their rightful places in the House of Wizards upon their coming of age.

The last letter was the one he was most impatient to write, his letter to Harry. He had only seen the younger man earlier that day, but he had much that he wished to say to him. Unfortunately he couldn’t put down all he wanted to say in his letter, he had no doubt that he would be rushing the young heir if he did so and he may lose his chance. He wasn’t a Gryffindor, he wasn’t going to rush into anything despite how much he desired that Harry was at his side, he was more than willing to play the long game to get the man. He wanted to try and set up a letter correspondence between them, after all what better way to learn more about Harry than to have the other man tell him.

He was hoping that he would be able to get the other man to see him as a friend, if not a mentor, before he tried to push their relationship further. However a few hours a week would not easily build a friendship with no other information, he needed to know more about Harry from him himself rather than from the files he had acquired on him. Harry would never trust his words if the information spilling from them wasn't something that he himself had divulged. Harry also needed to learn how to correspond through the written word, and his penmanship could use some work, so if anything it was a learning experience for the younger man, or at least that is how Lucius would make it out to be. He should probably do something similar with the orphans, but their woes and wishes weren't really something he wanted to read; perhaps he should have them write to each other, only writing to him if they had questions or needed clarification, it was something to think on.

_Dear Heir Potter-Black,_

_I write to you regarding our conversation earlier today, I believe that it is imperative that we begin a correspondence as soon as possible, as an aside from your weekly lessons, in order for you to learn the art of written conversation. It would be advisable to carry out two different types of written correspondence, as such the tone of our correspondence will change over the course; going from business correspondence to personal correspondence._

_In reference to your lessons on Friday I have included with this letter the books that I think will give you a proper grounding in the areas you need to learn. These are my own personal copies, so please take good care of them. On Friday evening if you apparate to the apparition coordinates that I provided you I will meet you and key you into the manor wards as a guest allowing you to apparate directly to the receiving room for future encounters._

_With regards,_

_Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy_

Lucius stood, walking to his bookshelves and pulling the required books down and taking them back to the desk. He wrapped them carefully in a soft green fabric, unlike many he did not favour the brown paper that most places wrapped parcels in, and then tied the parcel together with black leather cords. He then placed the letter to Harry in an envelope and slid it under the cords on the parcel. It only took a short walk to the owlery to find his personal owl, an Eagle owl with a haughty attitude, a bit like his own, and the parcel was on its way.

He wondered what Harry would think and whether or not he would get a reply to his letter or if Harry would just turn up on Friday. He also wondered how Harry would explain his owl to the blood traitor female, and whether he would explain that he would be leaving her every Friday night to visit Lucius, he would love to be privy to that conversation to see the Weasley girls reaction. He was sure to hear what she thought at some point; no doubt the next time they came across each other somewhere the woman was bound to start yelling.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry was sat at the dinner table at the Burrow, watching all the madness that was a normal meal at the Weasleys. He smiled as he watched plates be passed back and forth across the table. This wasn't proper etiquette, of that he was sure, but it was a family gathering behind closed doors; there was no-one to judge how they acted together. He listened to the flow of conversation around him, as each member of the family talked about their day. He loved this part of the day, listening to everyone's stories and telling his own. The Weasley family had never made him feel excluded and treated him as one of their own. He normally came for dinner most nights a week to catch up with what people were doing on a daily basis and for Mrs. Weasley's benefit. He could cook well enough, but he knew that the Weasley matriarch worried about him eating enough, at least this way he could appease her worry a bit, it wasn't as if eating her food was a hardship.

“How was your day Harry dear?" Molly asked as Bill finished talking about the curse he had detangled that afternoon.

"Not much," Harry replied, "I had a business lunch in Vertical Alley. One of the lords is willing to teach all the children in the orphanage about society, politics and law. I am going to be taking the lessons as well."

"Why would you do that?" Ron asked, "You’re not a kid."

"No, but I don't know most of what I need to take my place in the House of Wizards, so I need to learn." Harry replied.

“You’re not going to sit in classes with the kids though are you mate?” Ron asked around a mouthful of potatoes.

“Of course not,” Harry replied, “I am going to have private lessons once a week. It will be quicker as I’ll be the only person he’ll be teaching at that time, so if I need more help I can ask.”

Harry could tell that some of them were curious about why he was going for the lessons and with whom, but they didn’t ask, so he didn’t feel like telling them. He knew that there would be a fuss if he informed them that he would be going to Malfoy manor once a week to meet with Lucius Malfoy. The rivalry between the Weasley and Malfoy families was still as strong now as it was when Harry had first learnt about it, in fact after the war it was probably even stronger. No it was best to keep it a secret, for now at least.

He managed to steer the conversation away from himself and his lessons by asking George about the shop. He listened as George told everyone about some new products he was working on, and about the success of some of the pranks he sold. Harry could see the small frown on Mrs. Weasleys’ face, she still wasn’t happy about the way in which George was supporting himself, but she couldn’t deny that he was successful.

Dinner was long over and Harry was getting ready to leave the Burrow for home when the eagle owl swooped in through the open window, flying straight for Harry. He took the package from the owl, wondering who it was from, his mind thinking Lord Malfoy, but not saying anything aloud. As soon as he relieved it of the package the owl flew straight back out the window. He could see the Weasley’s eyeing the package, the very Slytherin colours of the packaging and the high quality of the fabric. 

He saw the letter first, just under the black cord, noting that it was addressed to Heir Potter-Black once again, confirming to himself that the parcel was from Lord Malfoy. He placed the letter into his pocket, not wanting to open it when the others would be able to read it and see the signature, he was trying to keep his association with Lord Malfoy quite for now after all.

He hesitated before opening the package, knowing that they were all watching him, and hoping that the package wasn’t anything that would give the identity of the sender away. He was tempted to leave the package until he got home, but the looks on the faces around him told him that wasn’t possible. He opened the parcel, and gave an internal sigh of relief at the contents.

“I didn’t expect them this quickly,” Harry said, trying to deflect some of his earlier confusion about the package, it had no doubt shown on his face, “I only ordered these books this afternoon.”

He rewrapped the parcel carefully, before he finished getting ready to leave. Once he was back at Grimmauld Place he opened the parcel again, looking at the books he had been sent, they would no doubt be useful. He then pulled out Lord Malfoy’s letter to read, placing it down on top of the books when he was finished and grabbing some parchment and a quill to write a thank you note. As he gave the note to his new owl Athena and watched her fly off with it, he wondered how he was going to hide daily correspondence with Lord Malfoy from Hermione and the Weasleys.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has taken so long. I am hoping to spend quite a bit of time working on this fic this month so hopefully there should be more regular updates.

Lucius was pleasantly shocked when he received an owl from Harry with a thank you note and an assurance that he would be at the Manor on tie on Friday. He had gone to bed that evening with a smile on his face that would have scared a great many people. When he awoke the next morning it was with purpose, he had a lot to be getting on with that day.

The first thing that he did after breaking his fast was write what he was terming in his mind as his daily letter to Harry. This letter was all about business, confirming the schedule for his lessons and informing him of the current progress with the lessons for the children in the orphanage. He intended to keep this type of correspondence up for at least a few weeks, before starting up personal correspondence.

Once he had written the letter he got ready for his day, that would first start with a meeting with Mrs Brown and then hopefully lead to introductions to all the children in the orphanage. He had considered only teaching the pureblooded children etiquette and law, but had realised quickly that discriminating like that wouldn’t earn him Harry’s favour. He would teach the halfblood and muggleborn orphans as well, after all they would be better and more productive members of the wizarding society if they knew how to act properly in any situation. There was also the fact that if he was able to convert the muggleborn orphans over to a wizarding way of thinking there would be less chance of them trying to destroy their ways.

His meeting with Mrs Brown was rather productive, and they had set the times and formats of the lessons before he had left her office and he had made sure that she was aware of the large order of books he had placed with Flourish and Blotts and instructing her that each child was to have a copy of both books. If they didn’t have enough books she was to order more at the bookstore and have them charge the order to his account.

It had been decided that he would teach both law and etiquette separately. He would teach the laws of the world to all the children over the age of five at once, the lessons taking the form of lectures on a Friday morning, the lecture would take the place of the children’s regular lessons for the morning. The etiquette lessons would take place on a Saturday and they would be done in two groups, splitting the boys and girls so that they could learn the proper etiquette for their gender. He had informed Mrs Brown that both lessons would take place at the same time as he intended to bring a female tutor with him to instruct the girls. This would mean that there was a period of time on a Saturday morning when the only children that the staff need concern themselves with would be the under fives allowing some of them a break for the short period of time.

When he met the children he did wonder if he knew exactly what it was that he was letting himself in for, after all he hadn’t really been responsible for even Draco’s lessons as a child. He had hired a tutor to teach his son as he was often busy trying to build their families reputation into something respectable once more after the war. This time though he needed to be seen as doing something good to help save the Malfoy name, and getting right down into the thick of it and teaching the orphans how to navigate the wizarding world without their parents guidance was something that could only endear him to the public.

He had left the orphanage and apparated to the International Floo Terminal from where he flooed to Narcissa’s home in Paris in order to secure her help in his latest endeavour. He knew she would help him as she still counted him as one of her dearest friends and she still cared about how the Malfoy name was seen in society as she was still connected to the Family through Draco.

Lucius had been right in thinking that she would get on board and help him and he had arranged for her to meet him at the Manor on Saturday morning and they would go to the orphanage together. He had also promised her lunch once they were done for the day. She had grilled him on the subject though, knowing him as well as she did she had realised that he had ulterior motives for his work with the orphans and she had managed to get them out of him rather easily. No matter what people thought of Lucius and his fear of the Dark Lord it was nothing compared to his fear of his ex-wife. Narcissa was ruthless when it came to extracting information and both he and Draco had come to terms with the fact that it was easier just to tell her what it was that she wanted to know and to never ever try and sneak a lie passed her.

Narcissa had found his situation amusing and had offered her help and expertise if he needed it, as long as he kept her involved and appraised of any developments. Lucius had agreed tentatively, knowing now that their lunch on Saturday was going to turn into a torturous extraction of information. He agreed to it regardless, glad to have an ally in his endeavour to ensnare the Potter-Black Heir.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shocking to see an update up so soon after the other one I know. I am not promising anything, because real life can be a real issue, but I am using this fic as my fic for the wip push at 1 million words this month, so updates should be much more regular than they have been.

Harry had been anxious about coming to Malfoy Manor that evening, the last time he had been there was not a pleasant experience and was rather worried about the trip. He knew that Malfoy wouldn’t hurt him, it wouldn’t be in his interests. Harry had worked out that although the man was a spy he was still having to do a lot of work to prove himself and his family to the Wizarding public. It wouldn’t be in his favour to kill or harm Harry in any way while he was in his home. He had worked out that Lucius was trying to use his teaching of Harry and the orphans to look better in the eyes of the public.

Harry had wondered if he should worry about any other ulterior motives, but he didn’t seem to sense anything nefarious from the Malfoy Lord so he didn’t look to much into the situation. He knew that this was a good opportunity for him, he had to learn how to act in the House of Wizards or he would never be taken seriously. He wanted to be able to change the Wizarding world for the better, and to do that he needed the House on his side, Saviour of the Wizarding world or not they wouldn’t respect him if he didn’t respect them or the laws and traditions surrounding the House.

Lord Malfoy knew those laws backwards and forwards, Harry really couldn’t ask for a more knowledgeable teacher. There was also the fact that he actually knew Lord Malfoy, he had heard of some of the other Lords or Regents but he didn’t have any real personal connection to or knowledge of them. At least with Lucius he knew what the man was like so it was easier to try and guess his motivations. As the muggles often said, it’s better the devil you know.

Harry had read through the books that Lucius had sent them, surprised to find like the Half-Blood Prince’s book that it had notes in the margins. He had never expected Lucius to be the type to write notes in a book rather than on ornate rolls of parchment that he kept meticulously organised. It was interesting to see what the man thought of the different parts of the books, and his notes spoke more to Harry than the books themselves, just like with Snape’s words in his potions text.

He had also prepared in other ways, he knew that it would be rude to turn up at Malfoy Manor in jeans and a t-shirt, and none of the robes that he had appeared to be suitable either. So he had borrowed Hermione for an hour or two and asked her to go with him to Twilfit and Tattings. He had never been in there before, having always relied on Madame Malkin to make his robes, and he expected to be fawned over as a new high profile customer. It was partly why he had taken Hermione with him, she could make people back off with just a glare, something that he had yet to manage.

No such thing occurred though, and the staff were nothing if not professional. After a few hours they left the shop with several new robes for him to wear in a variety of colours and cuts, the other reason he had taken Hermione with him was to help him decide what to choose. He knew that if he had taken Ginny with him he would have ended up with a lot of red, gold and black sets of robes. Hermione on the other hand helped him choose out robes that worked with his colouring and made him look respectable.

A few minutes before he was supposed to arrive he left his flat, apparating to the co-ordinates that Lord Malfoy had provided him with. He waited for the Malfoy Lord to arrive to key him to the wards and soon he was in the Manor being led to Lucius’ study. He was invited to take a seat and they exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before Lucius began to direct the conversation towards the lessons. 

Harry was relieved that Lucius seemed to have planned everything out as Harry himself felt like he was just floundering and he could really do with some direction. He was questioned first about the books, whether or not he had started them, had he any questions, etc. Harry could tell that Lucius was surprised that he had read through both books already, although Harry did admit that he had probably only really skimmed the books. He wasn’t willing to admit to Lucius that he had spent more time reading the man’s notes than the book itself.

Once Lucius had explained the way that they would work through all the pertinent knowledge Harry was a bit more content. After years of Hermione drawing up study plans for him it had felt a bit strange for him to not know when he was going to be studying what. Lucius had then launched into a lecture about the history of the House of Wizards and the Peerage. Despite having never been a fan of history, not many people were with Binns as the professor, Harry found himself entirely engrossed in what he was being told, especially how each of the families were accepted into the peerage.

Lucius had only been able to give him a general overview of the actions that had granted the Potter family their Lordship, but he had pointed him in the direction of Gringotts, explaining that his own family records should have more detail. By the time Harry left the Manor his mind was full with information about the formation of the House of Wizards and its role in society. He left with a new determination, he had wanted to learn what he needed to know to help shape the future, but now he realised that this could help him learn his past. One of the first things he needed to do was check his vaults for anything relating to his family history. He would also check the bookshop to see if he could pick up a few more books on the House of Wizards and the Wizarding world as a whole, it was time he learnt more about the world he lived in.


	8. Chapter 8

Lucius went to bed that evening with a smile on his face, his first lesson with Harry had gone rather well. He had begun by giving him an overview of the House of Wizards, touching upon the Potter family history, or what was known to the public at least, before giving him a more thorough understanding of the way the families interacted with the House using the Malfoy family as the example. If Harry had questioned him he would have explained that it was the only history that he knew in proper detail, and although this was the case he also had an ulterior motive, it would be better for him in the future if Harry was already aware of some of the family history.

The next morning he apparated to the orphanage with Narcissa by his side, he could tell that she was curious about what if anything had happened during the lesson the night before. He could tell that she would restrain herself though and wait for him to tell her over lunch, not that there was really much to tell at the moment. They were met just inside the main hall of the orphanage by Mrs Brown who after introductions showed them to the two rooms that the children had been gathered in. Mrs Brown had informed Lucius that there would be a member of staff sitting in on his lesson in order to keep the children in line and that she herself would be sat in on Narcissa's lesson for the same reason. Lucius knew that wasn't entirely the reason, they were probably going to be in the room to keep an eye on them and what they were teaching the children, but an extra person to monitor behaviour wasn't unwelcome. It would also be a good thing to have another adult there, one who would be able to confirm to anyone who was doubting what he was teaching the children that he was teaching as he should be.

The lesson was interesting, he had a group of boys of mixed parentage aging from five to thirteen. He first introduced himself to the children and got all their names before asking them if they knew why they were there. Once all the children were aware of what they were going to be doing Lucius began to talk about proper etiquette, focusing to begin with how to address any adult and then more specifically adults of the different stations within the wizarding world. Several of the older children had already had etiquette lessons, especially those who had darker ties as the darker factions of society had held with the traditions of the Wizarding world rigidly. He had enlisted those children to help him with the younger children and those who hadn't had any lessons, explaining that helping their fellow children would allow them to learn how to help others and act more mature and grown up. He wasn't a Sytherin for nothing, if stretching the truth a little allowed him his way he would use it. None of the children would really realise that he had tricked them into helping the others, and he doubted that the member of staff in the room would point it out or call Lucius on it, after all if it got the children to co-operate with one another it would be a good thing.

They had discussed several different things in the lesson and Lucius had also read to them from one of the books that he had purchased, explaining to them that they all had their own copies of the books and he would expect them to read them. He did concede that some of the younger children would possibly be unable to read or understand the more complicated parts of the texts so he explained that they could work as a group and that one person could read for the group aloud and that they could discuss the book and any parts they didn't understand. He did stipulate that it wasn't to be the same person that read all the time, in order to curb any of the future Ravenclaws from taking over completely, and that the others must all follow along in their own books, as this would help them to learn the words that they were unaware of and improve their reading skills.

When Lucius left the room at the end of the lesson he could tell that the man who had been left to supervise him was impressed with the way the lesson had gone, or rather that he was impressed that Lucius hadn't been completely harsh and unyielding with the children. He met Narcissa and Mrs Brown as they came out of their own room and they all made their way to Mrs Brown's office in order to discuss the lessons. The thing that Lucius wanted to discuss most was the lessons on history that would take place on a Friday morning, he wanted to try and introduce the children to as much of the wizarding history as possible and wanted to enlist the help of the staff.

He had explained his wishes, and had requested that the staff use stories from wizarding history as bedtime stories, the true history of course, rather than things like Wizarding fairytales or children’s books. Mrs Brown had looked unsure, but had finally conceded when Lucius had agreed that such stories could still be available for the children to read if they wish. He had also agreed to make a large donation in the form of books, the orphanage didn't have much in the way of books or a library at the moment and that was something that Lucius wanted to change. He had asked though that they set aside two separate rooms as libraries, one that would have books for reading for pleasure and one that would be more geared towards formal study for those children with summer homework or who wanted to broaden their knowledge in the fields of magic. Mrs Brown seemed to agree with his requests and he informed her that Flourish and Blotts would be making a delivery to the orphanage either later that day or the next day so if some of the staff could make sure that the rooms were ready that would be appreciated.

Leaving the orphanage Lucius could tell that Mrs Brown was not exactly happy with his demanding nature, but that she was pleased with his donations to the orphanage. Narcissa he could tell was just amused by the situation, but she didn't let on, keeping silent on the situation even as they stopped at the bookshop before going to lunch. She was less than silent in the shop however, recommending several different books, recommendations that he agreed with. In the end they had placed a rather large order to be sent to the orphanage and Lucius had opened a specific account with the shop for books for the orphanage to be paid for from one of his own Gringotts accounts.

They had made their way into Vertical Alley for lunch, choosing to dine at Athena's a restaurant stylised after a Greek temple with private rooms lined with many books as was befitting a goddess of knowledge. They had made their selections and were alone before Narcissa began her barrage of questions.

"The orphans?" She questioned, "It's not just for publicity or as an initial introduction as I thought originally, you are putting too much effort into the orphanage for that, why?"

He smiled, trust Narcissa to see right through the motives that others would have seen and see a deeper underlying motive was still hidden beneath them. "I'm simply trying to better the future generations of our world." 

Narcissa snorted rather inelegantly, "If I believed that Lucius I wouldn't have asked."

"Heir Potter-Black is an orphan himself, he emphasises with them, I am merely making sure that someone provides them the opportunities and guidance that he should have been given in the past." Lucius responded, before going silent as a waiter brought in their meal.

Narcissa stared at him for a moment or two before seeming to accept his response. "So, what are your plans for wooing Heir Potter-Black? What are you going to do about the Blood Traitor?"

"I intend to become Harry's friend first, become his confidant and then I will begin to woo him, once he has gotten to know me as Lucius rather than as Lord Malfoy." Lucius replied, "The orphans well he will be grateful that someone is looking out for them in the way he wished he had been looked after and hopefully he will look at me in a more favourable light for being that person."

"And the Blood Traitor?" Narcissa asked again, not finding fault with any of his plans so far.

"Shall be allowed to ruin her own reputation and chances, perhaps with a few subtle Slytherin nudges from myself of course. Her complete lack of manners are already working against her, Harry was less than impressed with her behaviour at the Ministry ball, shouting across the room at him, it was embarrassing." Lucius confided.

"I am sure that you know what you are doing." Narcissa spoke, "However if you intend to oust Miss Weasley from society more completely than her family have already managed you will of course need my help, and the help of the Matriarchs."

Lucius nodded, bowing to her wisdom, she had been one of the leading Matriarchs in society for over a decade, and still managed to hold her position despite the fact that they had gotten a divorce. It was astounding really that even though she was no longer a Lady of the House she still managed to hold such a position. He supposed it was her Black heritage and her Slytherin cunning that allowed her to keep her position. The fact that she was no doubt going to become a French Lady would be working in her favour as well, the British Matriarchs hoping to gain connections in Europe.

"I will deal with Miss Weasley, subtly of course, we cannot be seen to be meddling." Narcissa spoke confidently, "It will be up to you to ensnare Heir Potter-Black Lucius, I will give assistance when necessary, but of what I know of him your actions and attentions must come from yourself and be genuine, otherwise he is likely to ignore them and you completely."

Lucius agreed with her, he had surmised as much himself through his research. It would be different to what he was used to being completely genuine with someone, the only people who really got to see him as Lucius were Narcissa and Draco, Severus sometimes got a glimpse of his true self but not often. He had already decided upon this course of action though as Harry appeared to hate anyone who presented themselves as something they weren't. He wondered what exactly Narcissa was planning for the Blood Traitor, but in the end he thought that it wouldn't be wise to ask, plausible deniability as well as the fact that it would be too obvious if he was watching out for specific actions or events.

When the waiter returned to remove their plates and return with the next course they changed topics, beginning to discuss how Narcissa was enjoying living in France and what her and Marcus' plans were for the next few months. Draco also came up in conversation, their son currently staying in Paris with Narcissa so as to have a shorter apparition journey each day to the Université de Magie where he was studying. He was doing well in his studies and Narcissa had advised that he intended to return to Britain and the Manor every second weekend, coursework permitting, in order to connect with his friends from Hogwarts. Lucius wasn't too surprised at that, having expected it really, Draco hadn't spent much time away from his peers, and the only other of his friends attending the university was Blaise Zabini. He had no doubt that Draco would be followed home by Zabini who would take up one of the guest suites while they visited friends rather than returning to his mother's home in Italy.

Once they were finished with their lunch Narcissa had made her excuses before departing to meet with some lady friends of hers, no doubt to get the ball rolling on the Miss Weasley situation. As he returned to the Manor he realised that he had been really lucky with the wife he had been contracted for. Narcissa was one amazing witch and an even better friend and ally.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry thought back over the last few months, noting the changes in his life. He was now Lord Potter-Black, and was taking up his proper place in Wizarding society. It had been three months since he had started his lessons with Lucius and he was beginning to think of the man as a friend, they had many a conversation through letters and he occasionally had lunch with the man outside of his lessons. The other Lord had been a great help to him, guiding him through the political minefield and instructing him on the social niceties that he had to observe. He had also become one of the largest patrons of the orphanage as well, something which the public were beginning to take notice of. people believed that he was just donating money towards books and education for the orphans but Harry knew better.

Having spoken with Mrs Brown he knew of all the little changes that Lucius had been pushing through at the orphanage and he knew that the man was there at least twice a week for the children’s lessons. He had wondered at first why he was taking such an interest in the orphans and he had come out and asked him directly at one point why Lucius was going to so much bother.

The man had explained that it made more sense to him to make sure that the children had the best opportunities and education they could have to become productive members of society in the future. He had also explained that they would always look to him for some guidance as well if he was useful to them now. Harry was rather surprised that Lucius had admitted his rather Slytherin goals in the matter, Harry had been wondering if there was an ulterior motive involved, but he hadn't expected Lucius to come out and tell him the truth, that was more a Gryffindor trait.

Harry still hadn't told any of the Weasley's who his lessons were with, Hermione knew, but he had sworn her to secrecy and knowing the contention between the Weasleys and the Malfoys she had agreed to keep her silence. There had been mixed reactions as it was about him claiming his Lordship with the family. Ron thought that he was trying to become someone that he wasn't, especially as he had started to spend almost as much time as Hermione buried in books, and Mr Weasley agreed with him a little, stating that nothing good ever came of being a member of the House of Wizards. Harry wasn't sure but he thought it might be resentment speaking as the Weasley family had been a member of the house at one point and was no longer. Mrs Weasley and Ginny seemed thrilled by him taking up the Lordship and it seemed as if Ginny wanted them to go out places even more often now. She wanted to be seen on the arm of Lord Potter-Black and it was beginning to take its toll on him. He wouldn't be surprised if she started hinting about engagement rings soon enough, Mrs Weasley had already been dropping not so subtle hints about marriage around him.

There was no reason he felt to rock the boat any further, it would eventually come out that Lucius was his teacher in these matters and he would prepare for the inevitable storm when it arrived. For now he intended to try and ignore it completely and enjoy dinner at the Weasley's, something that was becoming harder to do every time that he was there. He could see that it wasn't going to be easy that evening as the group started talking about their plans for the next evening and Ginny began to stare at him. He could tell that she was waiting to ask him something, he just wondered how long it would take her to muster up the courage to ask.

He didn't have to wait too long though, some of the others conversation giving her the perfect platform when Fred asked her what her plans were for the evening. She looked at him for a moment before speaking. "I am not sure yet, I want to go to the party at Vincenzo's, I am not going on my own." She then turned the full weight of her stare on him, "Will you come with me Harry? You did say we would go out somewhere this week."

Harry just sighed, he knew that something like this was coming, Ginny tried it every other week, trying to get him to take her out on a Friday night to whatever party or event was going on. Vincenzo's was a new Italian wine bar in Vertical Alley that was having their grand opening tomorrow night, it was more of an event than a party, but explaining that to Ginny would make no difference. "I have my lesson tomorrow evening you know this Ginny."

Ginny glared at him, "You promised that we would go out this week, I want to go to this party. Cancel your lesson, you have your Lordship now, you don't need lessons anymore."

Harry just glared back, his lessons were about more than just gaining his Lordship, he had to know how to manoeuvre society without offending anyone, and to learn why society functioned the way that it did. It was why he had taken such a keen interest in the history of the wizarding world, he wanted to know why things had occurred the way they had, and what could be done to prevent certain things. If a few changes had been made in the past it would have been very unlikely that Voldemort would have risen as he had, Harry wanted to make those changes now in order to protect their society. Lucius and his lessons were helpful to him, he wasn't just going to cancel on the man, certainly not to attend an event he had no wish to be at.

"I'm not cancelling my lesson Ginny, I still have things to learn. Why don't you go to Vincenzo's if you want to go so much, you don't need me with you for that." Harry told her, although he was pretty sure that she actually did, there was no way that she would be invited into the bar herself, she would need him to get her in. "We have the Charity Ball for the orphanage on Saturday so we are going out, unless of course you don't wish to go."

Harry watched to see her reaction, noting that the whole family were staring between them a bit like a tennis match, watching to see who would win this conversation. Harry knew that he would get his way in this situation, after all he wasn't going to allow his emotions to rule him, whereas Ginny would just get angry and mad, making it harder for her to get her way.

Ginny glared at him before moving away from the table with her plate dropping it loudly into the sink. Harry winced in sympathy for the dish and waited to hear her response.  
"Of course I still want to go to the ball, I just don't see why we can't go to Vincenzo's as well, we never go out on a Friday night anymore, people are beginning to talk and ask questions." Ginny responded.

"I have commitments on a Friday Ginny, I made arrangements for my lessons I am not going to cancel something important to go out on the town to appease the gossips in Diagon Alley." Harry explained, watching Ginny warily to make sure that she wasn't about to start throwing things at him, it wouldn't be the first time after all.

Hermione seemed to take the lull in conversation where Ginny was making up her mind what to say to usher everyone out of the kitchen, insisting that they give Harry and Ginny some privacy. Harry loved that woman, he really did, she was the best friend he could have ever asked for, she always had his back when he needed it. 

"So, I am not as important as your lessons Harry, I just have to sit at home and wait for you like the little wife do I." Ginny replied, hoping to guilt him into taking her out, not that it would work.

"I didn't say that Ginny, don't put words in my mouth, and at no point have I said that you can't go out without me. You would have more fun at some of the places you want to go without me anyway, they aren't really my sort of thing. You are hardly waiting at home for me like the little wife either, it's not like we live together Ginny, you are my girlfriend, certainly not my wife, or my mother for that matter. What I do and when I do it is not up for discussion, I am not cancelling my lesson, this week or any week." Harry spoke, telling her the things he thought she needed to hear.

Ginny just glared at him, obviously hoping that it would make him change his mind, but that wasn't going to happen. Harry decided that it was time to leave and he told her that he would see her on Saturday before the ball before heading into the living room to say his goodbyes to the rest of the family before leaving for home. He could tell that Mrs Weasley wanted to question him and push him into doing what Ginny wanted but he just made his excuses and left. He had spoken quietly with Hermione before he left arranging lunch for the next day, he was hoping that she would be able to help him sort out some of the things that were going on in his life.

Leaving the Burrow for home was a relief, one that was occurring after every family dinner, it used to be the other way around, dinner was the relief, not escaping from it. It felt that every time he went to the Burrow there was something new, something Ginny wanted them to do, Ron wanting him to just ignore his books and his new responsibilities and just play chess or quiddich or Mrs Weasley making hints about how lovely a wedding in the garden would be, with Ginny looking all starry and dreamy eyed.

Frankly Harry was sick of it, he had been used for years to destroy Voldemort, he now had his own life, he wanted a chance to do with it what he wanted. He was too young for marriage, and he wasn't really sure that he wanted to marry Ginny even if he wasn't, she was too interested in his name and where he could take her. Harry wasn't interested in going out to parties or events, he didn't like being in the spotlight, unlike Ginny who seemed to thrive when there were a dozen reporters in range. Things like the charity ball for the orphanage he didn't mind, it was for a good cause, but wine bar openings didn't hold any appeal to him, he would rather be at home with a bottle of wine and some close friends than in a room full of people getting steadily drunker.

There wasn't much that he felt that he and Ginny actually had in common, other than their love of quiddich, they had completely different ideas of what they liked to do in their free time other than quiddich. Especially since Harry had decided to take up further study, most of his spare time was used pouring over books, trying to read as many history books as he could. It had shocked the Weasley family completely when he had told them that he intended to pursue a Mastery in history, but he hadn't cared too much, it was his decision. Hermione had agreed with him, finding that he really had become quite passionate about making sure that history wasn't repeated, especially in terms of Dark Lords popping up, and that the only way to stop repeating the mistakes of the past was to learn of and from them. 

As well as his duties in the House of Wizards and his time spent at Gringotts learning about his family’s finances he didn't really have a lot of spare time, and when he did have spare time he just wanted to relax, not be dragged all over London to the most happening places. He really needed to speak with Hermione, if there was anyone who could help him make sense of his jumbled thoughts and feelings towards Ginny it would be her. He didn't think that there was any real romantic feelings left in him for Ginny though, he loved her sure, but he didn't think that he was in love with her, not anymore at least. He'd wait and speak with Hermione before deciding anything, his big sister always gave the best advice.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been exactly 6 months since an update on this :( I am sorry about that, here's the next chapter and hopefully I will get more written and posted a lot sooner.

Lucius walked into the Ministry Ballroom looking resplendent in navy blue robes with silver accents. The robes were in the Malfoy House colours and worked well to favour his looks, he moved around the room with purpose, looking to find several people that he needed to speak with that evening. He noticed Narcissa had already arrived with Marcus, but they appeared to have separated, Narcissa having moved to join a group of the Matriarchs. Gliding up alongside Marcus he greeted him pleasantly, despite what many would believe they got on really well with each other, they both wished for Narcissa to be happy and knew that they both made her happy in different ways and that it would be unwise for them not to get along.

"She is plotting something." Marcus told him, "I am not sure if either you or I are the target or if it is someone else, but I thought I should warn you."

Lucius chuckled, "You have nothing to fear, I am aware of her target, unless she is up to something else as well as what I am aware of we are safe for the evening."

Marcus looked sideways at him, “You are plotting together again, aren’t you? I pity whoever you are targeting.”

Lucius just smiled at him, neither confirming nor denying anything. “We aren’t doing anything that wouldn’t have happened anyway, we are just altering the timetable a little, and making things happen sooner than they would naturally.”

Marcus turned to stare at his fiancé who appeared to be in deep discussion with the other Matriarchs. “I know when not to get involved, it’s safer for all of us if I just pretend to be ignorant of it all.”

“That’s probably for the best.” Lucius agreed before taking his leave of the man and making his way further into the ballroom.

As this was just a charity ball put on by the Ministry rather than a formal Pureblood ball there was no announcer for entry to the ballroom, people just wandered in when they arrived, so if you were looking for someone in particular you had to keep an eye out for them yourself. Lucius had decided that he was going to take a rather laidback approach to approaching Harry at this ball. He had thought of being more forthright and seeking him out, but he decided not to cause any ripples with the Weaslette himself, but to watch Narcissa work her magic.

That wasn’t to say he would ignore Harry if he sought him out, but he wouldn’t search him out to speak with. He did intend to track who he was speaking with and how he was progressing with the things that he was teaching him. If Harry noticed his avid attention on him during the ball he would inform him that he was using the ball to assess the level to which he had been taking his lessons on board.

Joining a group of the other Lords he slid effortlessly into the conversation about a bill on restricting the power of the Lord of the family over individuals. It wasn’t a very popular bill as it went against many of the wizarding traditions that had been passed down for years. It had been put forth by one of the lighter families, the young Lord Abbott if Lucius was correct in thinking, a young man who had only come into his title recently with his grandfathers’ death. It had been speculated that the bill was his attempt to spite his dead grandfather who had directed his life in the way he thought appropriate for the heir to the family, despite the young heirs own very different thoughts about what he wanted to do with his life. The bill wouldn’t pass, there were enough older Lords still on the Wizengamot that would block the bill, those of Lucius’ generation could go either way, depending on whether or not the path they were on as a result of their own Lord was favourable. The younger generation, well other than Abbott the only other young Lords sitting on the Wizengamot at the moment were Longbottom, who while Light sided had been raised traditional, and Potter-Black who was beginning to see the benefit to all the traditions of the Wizarding World.

The conversation changed slightly, turning in the direction of the younger Lords when Lord Potter-Black arrived with the youngest Weasley on his arm. Weasley had dressed in a red dress that clashed horribly with her hair and that Lucius would guess had been her mother’s at one stage. Harry on the other hand was dressed in what was clearly a new outfit, and not from Madam Malkin’s either, he had obviously taking Lucius’ recommendation and visited Twillfit and Tatting to have an outfit more appropriate to his station made for this ball. Whoever was responsible for creating his robes had worked well creating an amalgamation of the house colours of Potter and Black. They had blended the purple and black colours of the Black house with the silver and red of the Potter’s without the outfit looking like something out of Dumbledore’s wardrobe. The outfit was mainly silver and purple with little accents in black and red, the small bits of red the part of his outfit that Weasley must have tried to match.

Many commented on the arrival, and Lucius could tell that Harry was aware of the words flying around the room commenting on their arrival and their outfit choices, the compliments about Harry’s outfit and the questions the youngest Weasley’s was creating. Lucius could guess the questions running through people’s minds had they gotten engaged without announcing it or was Weasley hoping that she could force a proposal by using public opinion or was she just unaware of her faux pas. Wearing colours not her own to a public ball was something that just wasn’t done, as an accent maybe, but not as the main colour of the outfit, she should have been dressed in a brown or bronze as they were the Weasley colours.

Lucius did his best not to smile at the comments floating around the ballroom, knowing that they were just another strike against the youngest Weasley. He did wonder what Harry thought about her attire, he knew he had taught the younger man the significance of the family colours, and if he hadn’t then his tailor certainly would have. Knowing that Narcissa had something planned he looked around for her, only to find her already making her way towards Harry. He watched as she curtsied to him before speaking, he was too far away to hear what she was saying, but he soon realised that her plans or at least one of them did include him and Marcus for that matter if the look she had given both of them said anything.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I must apologise for the amount of time it has taken for an update :( I have been rather busy with real life and finding time to write hasn't been easy. I am now completely switched over to my new laptop though, with all my writing files backed up in two other locations, and that new key on the laptop feel means they just need to be broken in, so hopefully I will get the chance to and updates won't be so few and far between.

Harry apparated to the Burrow to collect Ginny for the Ministry’s Charity Ball, hoping that the evening would go well, he didn’t need another mishap like Ginny shouting to him across a room to get his attention. He hoped that Ginny had thought about her actions after the gossip that had been flying around Diagon Alley about that incident, he supposed he would find out this evening. 

Mrs Weasley opened the door and pulled him into a bone crushing hug before allowing him into the kitchen properly. “Ginny will be down in a moment Harry dear, she is just finishing her hair.”

Harry nodded politely, and began to talk to Mrs Weasley about her day, subtly checking his watch to check the time so he could keep an eye on how long Ginny was making him wait. When she finally came down the stairs he had been talking with her mother for a good five minutes. Harry knew that making him wait was a ploy on Ginny’s part to make him appreciate her more, to appreciate how long she had spent getting ready for him, the only thing it did though was irritate him. He didn’t voice his irritation though, knowing that it would fall on deaf ears or be met with excuses. 

When Ginny had finally arrived in the kitchen Harry had been startled by her choice of outfit, both women taking his gobsmacked expression to mean that he liked her dress. Mrs Weasley then ushered them out the door before Harry could actually comment or send Ginny back upstairs to change. He couldn’t believe how brazen Ginny was being with her dress, wearing one of his colours instead of her own. The tailor that Lucius had recommended had explained all about House Colours, the importance of them and the significance of different people wearing them in different situations.

Ginny wearing one of his House Colours while accompanying him to a ball would imply a serious commitment between them, a contract, engagement, hand fasting or bonding. That she believed he was unaware of this and still wore his colours was as if she was trying to trap him in front of the rest of society. Harry refrained from commenting on her dress choice, he knew it would just start an arguement he didn’t want to get in to and make them unfashionably late. He would just have to make it known that her clothing choice did not have his approval.

Harry knew that he needed to speak with Hermione almost desperately, he wanted his sister’s opinion on the matter to see if it aligned with his own. He was regretting resuming his relationship with Ginny once the war had ended, they both seemed to have different priorities these days. Harry was focused on the orphanage, his Mastery and learning what was required of him due to his Lordships. Ginny however seemed to be trying to take him away from all of that, she was aiming to turn him into some sort of social butterfly, trying to get him to go to events he had no interest in, and get him to propose to her. The only things they had in common really was their love of quiddich and the Weasley family, not really the basis for a relationship.

He put thoughts of breaking up with Ginny out of his head as he took her arm and apparated them to the Ministry. Entering the ballroom he was unsurprised that many people had already arrived, scanning the room he caught sight of several noteworthy figures, all the Matriarchs were there already, Lucius had arrived, Hermione was there talking with Neville, and the majority of them all turned to take note of his and Ginny’s entrance. Harry could hear the comments passing around the room about their outfits and he could tell that while his outfit was met with approval Ginny’s had creating a lot of questioning amongst the rest of the guests.

Before Harry could decided which way to go into the ballroom, whether to make his way straight to the Matriarchs to bid them good evening, or move towards Hermione to collect her first, the decision was taken out of his hands by the approach of Narcissa Black. The daughter of his House was dressed in a lovely gown in a deep purple that worked well with her complexion and tied her to the House of Black.

Narcissa curtseyed to him and greeted him as the Lord of her Birth House , barely acknowledging Ginny at his side before asking for some of his time to introduce him to some people and resolve a family issue. Seeing no problem with this he agreed, having seen her look towards Lucius and another man, whom he assumed was her lover that Lucius had mentioned once, he realised that it was probably an issue concerning Narcissa herself rather than him or the Black family in general.

He steered Ginny further into the ballroom and off to the side as Narcissa moved away to collect the two men. Ginny spent the whole time waiting for Narcissa to return moaning about not being acknowledged and about why they were speaking with Narcissa Malfoy anyway, completely ignoring the fact that the woman was no longer a Malfoy, but a Black. She didn’t even acknowledge Hermione as she joined them, she was dressed in a stunning gown of silver that clung to her frame in all the right ways, not being too revealing, but accentuating her figure.

Harry didn’t say it while they were waiting for Narcissa to return, but he couldn’t help but wonder how big a fit Ginny was going to pitch when Narcissa asks her to excuse herself so they can discuss a family matter. He was sure that it wouldn’t be pretty, Ginny wouldn’t even think about where she was or the company she was in and it would be her own downfall. Harry knew that she would never be accepted into society the way she acted, and he didn’t believe that he had either the patience or the inclination to change her behaviour. One thing he did know was that he wasn’t intending to allow her behaviour to reflect badly on him for much longer.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is probably the quickest I have ever updated this story :) Narcissa!muse demanded her say and this chapter practically wrote itself.

Narcissa Black was a woman on a mission, several missions in fact, but the major one was to oust Miss Weasley from Lord Potter-Black’s side. The young witch had proven already by her public actions that she was not fit to be placed at the side of the Lord of her Birth House. The public shame she would bring on the Potter and Black families through her ignorance of the traditions of their culture and by her astoundingly poor manners would be astronomical. Narcissa was not prepared for such a thing to happen, not when it would reflect badly not just on the Head of House, but the other members of the family as well. She had worked hard to gain her position as one of the Matriarchs of their society and had worked even harder to keep her position despite her divorce, she was not prepared to allow a Weasley to undo all her hard work. Not just that, but Weasley’s behaviour could also affect Draco and his prospects, she wasn’t allow the little girl to ruin any of her sons’ chances at anything.

With those thoughts in mind she had arrived at the Ministry Ballroom with a set plan of action in mind, abandoning Markus almost as soon as they arrived she made her way into the room and located several of the other Matriarchs. Once they were grouped together and having exchanged the standard pleasantries they began to discuss the most recent happenings, and catching up on what each other had been doing. Narcissa had managed to steer the conversation masterfully round to Miss Weasley’s unacceptable actions during the last ball without appearing to be malicious at all. She had simply mentioned how she had taken on the task of teaching all the female children over the age of five at the orphanage etiquette as it would be completely unacceptable to allow the children to have to stumble through society as their parents were no longer able to guide them. The other Matriarchs had agreed with her thoughts on the matter and praised her on the actions she had taken, devoting her time to the British orphans when she was now living in France. Someone else in the group had brought up the consequences of children being raised without proper etiquette training or manners and that was how Miss Weasley’s deplorable behaviour came up as a topic of conversation.

Speculation about her behaviour and actions at this ball was high, and the Matriarchs were all in agreement that the girl had a lot to learn and her behaviour would need to be corrected and apologies made for her actions before they would even think to accept her into society. Madame Longbottom then made the comparison between the Weasley girl who had been raised in their society and the muggleborn Granger who had only entered the wizarding world after the age of eleven. Granger had in her later years come to learn and respect the traditions of the wizarding world, and had always had knowledge of some of the etiquette of their society. Her manners had always been mostly impeccable, Severus had always complained about her frantic hand waving to get attention in class, and she had been almost completely accepted into society when she began to practice their traditions, she would be fully accepted once she became part of one of the families of society.

Many believed that would be when she bonded, there were despite what some would believe quite a few different Heirs vying to be the one to gain her hand, however if Narcissa was reading the situation right, or rather her outfit, she was already part of two of the families. Lord Potter-Black was a bit of a mystery to many, but it was obvious to all how much he valued his friendship with Granger, but from what Narcissa could see it was much more than that. Granger was wearing a silver dress, one of the Potter colours, but she also had two rings on her fingers, one of which Narcissa recognised immediately, an identical one adorned one of her own fingers, and she had one of the Black families most coveted jewels around her neck. Hermione Granger was now Hermione Potter-Black, most likely through a sibling bonding or an adoption ritual into the families. She wasn’t sure how, but she did know that the other woman was now family and she nodded to her and smiled in acknowledgement of the fact when the other woman looked up from her conversation with Lord Longbottom.

Like the other Matriarchs Narcissa was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Lord Potter-Black and Miss Weasley, although none of them allowed the anticipation to show on their face, but they were all surreptitiously watching the entrance for their arrival. When they did appear Narcissa made sure that none of the horror at the Weasley girls outfit choice showed on her face, looking around the other Matriarchs she could see a similar stone faced look that appeared on her face looking back at her from nearly all the other women. The Matriarchs were all aware of Lord Potter-Black’s increased awareness of and compliance with the traditions of the wizarding world and knew that he would have announced any impending bonding as was the respectful thing to do. It meant that no-one unintentionally intruded upon a relationship of a committed nature by attempting to send a courting request or anything similar. 

The fact that no such announcement had been made, but Miss Weasley was wearing Potter colours whilst accompanying Lord Potter-Black was a deplorable thing and made her look to be a gold digging witch who was seeking to trap a Lord. Narcissa moved forward, leaving the group of Matriarchs with a polite excusal and making her way straight for the Lord of her Birth House intending to help show the rest of society that Miss Weasley had ideas above her station and get her Lords approval for her own future bonding.

After greeting her Lord and securing his approval to speak on a family matter despite the venue she took her leave of him to collect both Lucius and Markus for their discussion. Catching the look that the female Potter-Black threw in her direction she inclined her head and smiled, indicating that it was acceptable that she join them for their conversation. She smiled as the young woman joined her brother and continued on her way to extract Lucius and Markus from the groups they were conversing in.

When they returned to the area of the ballroom that her Lord had moved to it was to the sound of Miss Weasley complaining that they were just standing about waiting on a Malfoy when she wanted to mingle with respectable people. Narcissa didn’t allow the smile she wanted to smile to show on her face, but if she had it would have put a shark to shame, instead a small polite smile crossed her lips. Lucius and Markus’ faces were impassive behind her, both having no doubt heard Miss Weasley’s words as well.

Narcissa smiled towards her Lord before addressing the Weasley before making any introductions. “Miss Weasley, if you could please excuse us, but this is a family matter, we shouldn’t be too long, perhaps you could go and make the acquaintance of some of those you are longing to meet.”

Narcissa knew that Weasley would get a frosty reaction from many of the people in the ballroom, especially on her own. The people who were anyone in society wouldn’t give her the time of day without Lord Potter-Black with her. She also knew that she would have upset her by asking her to leave, knowing that she felt she was important enough to be at her Lord’s side, regardless of what the conversation was about. As Narcissa had predicted the girl had the audacity to try and complain and whine to be allowed to stay for the conversation, and then tried to insist that Hermione go with her then.

Narcissa put an end to that very quickly, with a warm smile in the direction of the muggleborn so that she knew her frosty tone was not aimed at her. “Miss Weasley, this is a family discussion and as such you have no right to stay. Heiress Potter-Black may stay if she wishes, and I would ask that she does as I wish to make the acquaintance of my new cousin.”

Narcissa enjoyed the spluttering of the Weasley chit before she finally stomped off and she could feel the eyes of many of the other attendees of the ball on them. She knew that they had heard her words, and many of them, the young unbounded males in particular, were looking at her cousin in a new light, and she knew without doubt that there would be at least a few more males who would also by trying to gain her hand within the next couple of weeks. She would love to see their faces when they realised that they would have to go up against Lord Potter-Black for his approval on the match.

Once Weasley had stormed off Narcissa looked to Markus who nodded and raised a silencing ward around their group, stopping the rest of the attendees from hearing their conversation. While she didn’t mind the others in the ballroom listening to her attempting to teach the youngest Weasley some manners, she didn’t want them to be listening in on family business.

“Lord Potter-Black, Heiress Potter-Black, I would like to formally introduce you to my ex-husband and father of my child Lord Lucius Malfoy, and to my fiancé Lord Markus Evreux of France.” Narcissa did the introductions and waited while some small talk and pleasant conversation was made before getting to the heart of the matter.

“Lord Malfoy has been acting on my behalf in the contract negotiations with Lord Evreux for my hand, however now that you have accepted your Lordships my Lord you will need to give your approval of the contract before we can proceed.” Narcissa explained. “I was wondering if it would be acceptable to you to meet for a family brunch tomorrow in order to go through the contract and get to know one another better.”

“I am sure it will be acceptable to Lord Malfoy for you to arrive at Malfoy Manor for 11am.” Narcissa stated, looking towards Lucius, who did nothing but nod his acceptance. She knew that he would agree with her, he knew it was safer to do so, but he would also get to spend more time with Potter-Black.

Both Lord Potter-Black and his Heiress agreed to brunch and they moved onto other topics, removing the silencing ward, but continuing to converse until dinner was announced. Narcissa watched as an impassive mask settled on Lord Potter-Black’s face as Miss Weasley appeared at his side again. Thankfully for him it was a Ministry Ball and not a Pureblood one, at least this meal would only consist of three courses and he would also have his sister sat with him to carry a conversation.

Watching as the youngest Weasley fumbled her way through choosing her meal and then getting the utensils wrong Narcissa smiled inwardly, her work was done for the evening, Weasley would do enough damage on her own. Narcissa intended to enjoy her meal, the company of her fiancé and the show that the young Weasley was putting on. She would continue the work to remove the Weasley tomorrow when she had her Lord at Lucius’ manor, a few well placed words would help with her Lord’s doubts about the girl that were already forming.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that it has taken so long for an update and that I haven't replied to comments. Over the last six months or so I haven't really been that engaged with my creative side at all, I have had no urge to write, or felt any real inspiration at all. Within the last week or so I have changed my place of work (same job, same company, just another location) and despite having further to travel and later finishes and more sporadic shifts I am actually feeling the buzz of creativity again. I started with an advent challenge on the 1st of the month and am now working on my dusty works in progress as well. I will get to my comments in the next few days, I just want to say that I am grateful for anyone who has stuck with this story in spite of its flaky authoress.

Hermione Granger was not unintelligent by any stretch of the imagination; she had been regarded as the most intelligent witch of her age by more than one of her professors in her adolescence. In fact she had come out of Hogwarts in the top percentile, despite being distracted by the war and all that had gone on around being a central figure as a result of being Harry Potter's best friend and confidant.

After leaving Hogwarts she had considered various career paths, having thought about going into the Ministry to work for creature rights, but felt that the ministry itself was too oppressive and that she would never manage to succeed in her work from inside the Ministry. Instead she began to work within society, using her small amount of fame that had gotten her noticed as a platform to work from. She was working on the creature rights much like Harry was on the orphanage, as a side project that was close to her heart. As a career she had gone into the Ministry, but not in any roll that anyone would have expected of her. Hermione Granger was one of the elite within the Ministry, unable to tell you anything about what she actually did, her role was so secret that it was only known that she worked in the Department of Mysteries, nothing was known about what she did on a daily basis.

Her job was fascinating to her, it was ever changing and she didn't think it would ever bore her. Many people who knew that the Department did a lot of research would say that it was a perfect fit for the girl who had spent a large majority of her life buried in books, but there was a practical aspect to that research. She had only been in the Department for about a year now, but she was a good way in to her thesis for both Transfiguration and Charms, her research into magic and spells prompting her to seek a double mastery in the two subjects. She had considered doing a triple mastery, but decided to hold off on Potions for a while and do the more wand intensive subjects first before devoting her time to a cauldron.

Hermione had loved her further pursuit of knowledge, it was a state in which she was wholly satisfied, and had been bemoaning to herself the fate of her friends and their career prospects. Ron had tried and failed to become accepted into the Auror department and was currently working with the twins in their store, doing nothing more than filling up stock and serving customers. He had no ambition to do anything to further himself or make a future for himself, and Hermione no longer had the time or patience to make sure that he succeeded. Harry on the other hand seemed to have been floundering for a while, other than his work with the orphanage he had been completely unsure about what direction he wanted to go in. The orphanage was the only thing that he had shown an interest in, but he didn't personally want to work with the orphans himself, he just wanted to work in the shadows of the orphanage and make sure the orphans had everything they needed.

When he had started to take lessons in Wizarding culture, etiquette and history so as to be able to use his role as Lord Potter-Black to its full extent, a thing she was sure he was only doing at first to make sure he could provide for the orphans, he had found that without Binns putting him to sleep he actually had a passion for history. Hermione couldn't have been prouder than the day Harry had dragged her to Flourish and Blotts with him and proceeded to buy out an entire section of History books, before announcing to her that he was going to pursue the field of study for Mastery. Now that he could actually focus on his studies, without the threat of Voldemort looming in the background, or Ron pestering him constantly to slack off to play chess or go out on their brooms, Harry seemed to excel.

He had thrown himself into his studies with a zeal that reminded Hermione of herself, and had actually questioned him on the subject. Harry had admitted to her when he asked that he was fascinated by what he was learning, but that he also wanted to know more and show that he had learned a lot in order to gain Lord Malfoy’s approval. Hermione had been rather shocked when she had heard the words come from Harry’s mouth, and she could tell that she was not the only one, Harry himself looked shocked at the words he had spoken. She had questioned him further, wanting to get to the bottom of things, and perhaps understand why he was now looking for Lucius Malfoy’s approval.

Harry had then explained to her who was behind his lessons and the lessons that the children were receiving at the orphanage. Through discussing the situation they had figured out between them that Harry’s desire for Lucius’ approval was along the lines of showing that he was worth the time the Lord was putting in and that he was grateful for the lessons he was being taught. Privately Hermione thought that there may be a bit more to it than that, but she could tell that Harry wasn’t ready acknowledge anything more than he already had. She wouldn’t push him on the subject, but she would be close at hand if he needed her to talk with at any point.

With Harry’s newfound knowledge of traditions and history came his transformation in a way. He began to change his public appearance to match his station, having bought a proper Wizarding wardrobe and the correct attire for different occasions. This, as Hermione expected when Harry mentioned his intentions to her to do so, began to cause some tension with the Weasleys. Ron believed that Harry was becoming an uptight snob, even though he was nothing of the sort, but rather observing and utilising correct manners and graces. Ginny on the other hand began to picture herself in matching attire, it was obvious from her looks she was dreaming of being Lady Potter, but Hermione could tell that the more time Harry spent around Ginny the less enamoured with her he became.

Due to the attitude of some of the Weasley family they had decided, when Harry formally invited her into his families, not to release the news straight away. It would be evident at the first formal function she attended or if anyone were to look at her hand, which displayed the Heiress rings for both House Potter and House Black. Upon completing the ritual bringing her into the families as Harry’s sister he had immediately made her his heir, insisting that she should inherit if he died without having a child.

Transitioning to her new place in society for Hermione was much easier than it had been on Harry, the limelight was not as bright on her for a start, or rather it wouldn’t be until people started to realise her new position then courtship requests may start to appear. She had also been raised with parents who were determined to see her succeed in whatever she set her mind to. She had lessons in etiquette from a young age and had read, even if she hadn’t fully understood all the nuances until later, many books detailing the Wizarding structures of society when she arrived at Hogwarts and had the library at her disposal.

Her first formal engagement since her adoption was to be the Ministry Ball in honour of the orphanage and while she felt ready for it she knew that she would no doubt be scrutinised by the matriarchs of society. She would be arriving alone as Harry was taking Ginny with him and would be collecting her from the Burrow. She hoped that Ginny didn’t do anything that would reflect too badly on them, as her actions reflected on Harry and the rest of his families. She knew Harry was finding it hard to be around her in the way he once was, having no real feelings of affection left for the girl. She believed that it wouldn’t be long before the relationship between them completely withered, Harry having confided in her his misgivings about the relationship.

Arriving alone for the ball didn’t bother her, and after speaking with a few people she knew and making some small talk with some she didn’t, she sought out company that she was comfortable with. Lord Longbottom had always been able to put her at ease and make her feel welcome, ever since they had first met on the train to Hogwarts, the other pre-teen almost inconsolable at having lost his toad. Conversing with him was always a pleasure, and the spent some time catching up with each other’s lives whilst listening to some of the conversations going on around them.

Hermione could tell that many people were anxiously waiting for Harry’s arrival to see what scandal Ginny may cause this time, but what intrigued her was the way that Lord Malfoy’s eyes kept surrepticiously scanning the area around the doors for Harry’s entrance. The Lord was doing an admirable job of not looking too interested in Harry when he arrived, but there was definitely something lurking beneath the surface of his feigned disinterest.

Lady Narcissa of House Black was definitely involved as well Hermione could tell it was obvious in little ways. They had lived together for so long and had survived two wars by working as a team, they were definitely working together on something, there were too many little looks shared between them. Meeting with them the next day would give her a chance to study them some more and try to piece together what they were up to. Even if they weren’t forthcoming with their plans she was sure she could gather enough information to start working out the mystery that was their plans. She had smiled politely at them as they had separated to their separate seats for the meal, a smile that almost turned into a grimace when she realised that Ginny was floundering. Hopefully the girl wouldn’t make any grave social faux pas, as she would be unlikely to accept any help or guidance to fix the situation, and Hermione didn’t have the time to fix her errors, she had a mystery to solve.


End file.
